


“I have control.” | a hermitcraft fanfiction |

by thathermitweirdo



Category: Hermitcraft, Hermitcraft RPF, Minecraft (Video Game), Minecraft - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: AU, Deception, Gemstone, Ghosts, Hermitcraft - Freeform, Kidnapping, Loss of Control, MCYTober (Video Blogging RPF), Mind Control, Minecraft, Other, Possession, hermitcraft au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:48:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27213679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thathermitweirdo/pseuds/thathermitweirdo
Summary: Locked away, banned and stuck in a magical prison for all of eternity.But when one of the prisoners finds a way to escape, he finds himself in a new world called "Hermitcraft", and he's ready to take control.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

" _King—"_

_"I know, I know," the figure started as they paced back and forth, their footsteps echoing through the hollow prison. The lighting was dim, the environment a frigid temperature, as the crystal walls gleamed unnaturally. The room was made entirely of the mystical gemstones, with barely any lighting or means of escaping._

_The figure had their hand on their chin, stroking the patchy stubble that had been growing on their face. Their skinny form and rugged clothes told a story of how long they had been stuck in the little box, although their pale eyes and cold glare was brimming with mystery. The human was lost in thought, too distracted by their own mind that they didn't notice how far they had been pacing._

_The neon green chain wrapped around the human's ankle clasped down, shards of crystal and rock shooting through their leg, the figure screaming in pain. They fell to the ground, their body immovable, as the chain slowly dragged the blood-soaked male back into the dark corner, the other figures in the prison hesitating before they went to check up on the human._

_"King?" A female voice called, her quiet voice soft and comforting. She moved a bit closer to the human, who groaned in pain. The male sat up with a groan, the scars that littered his bloodless skin gleaming a neon green for a few moments, before King had fully regained consciousness._

  
  


_He hissed as many curses as he knew underneath his breath, the prisoner's eyes drawn to the chain that had coiled around his ankle, the shards of gems and rock slowly tearing out of his skin and returning to their place as a anklet that held King prisoner._

_"You alright, King?" The female asked once more, although she was seated this time, rubbing her hand over the scars on her ankles, which were from her very own chain, all prisoners seeming to have their own which was coiled around their ankles._

  
  


_"I'm fine, Sonia," King growled in a pained voice, slipping his hands underneath the chain and squeezing the bloody wounds, the flowing liquid beginning to stain the palms of his hands. Sonia nodded quietly, nervously pulling on her light blue chain, struggling to avoid staring at the gore and blood that was beginning to puddle around King's ankle._

_"You're always so entertaining, King. I mean, out of everyone here, you're the one who always seems to get stabbed!" A male laughed at his fellow prisoner, King rolling his foggy eyes, his grasp on his ankle tightening. He let go, a satisfied sigh slipping out his lips when the gashes in his ankle were glowing a radioactive green, the blood beginning to slow as his limb began to heal slowly._

" _Thanks for your words of encouragement, Damien.." King growled, the male relaxing his shoulders when his leg was fully healed. The prisoner pulled on his baggy pants, pulling the stained clothing over the chain in an attempt to avoid looking at his glowing scars._

_"You know, I never understood why we heal so quickly.." a new voice spoke up, the girl twirling a strand of her snowy hair around her finger, her hair seeming to have a hint of blue hidden away by the white color._

_"It's because we're trapped here for all of eternity! I thought you knew that, Lilith. After all, you're such a Genius!" Damian spat at the female, the prisoner quickly snapping an insult in response, the two breaking out in childish banter._

_Lilith had a cold gleam in her yellow eyes, the color resembling an elm tree at the beginning of autumn. She didn't resemble a human, her colorless hair and her long fingernails, which could easily pierce skin, her light blue painted nails normally mistaken for claws due to their sharp appearance._

_Damian was a rude individual, a cherry red chain around his ankle. His dark eyes were broken, filled with sorrow and pain, his short brunette hair oily and stained, it hadn't been groomed or cleaned in a long amount of time._

_Sonia tried to ignore the fighting, her curly red hair falling in the way of her opalescent eyes, their faint orange glow sometimes hard to ignore. She pulled on her orange chain in a nervous fashion, tucking herself away in the shadows in an attempt to avoid the conflict._

_"Enough you two!" A new voice shouted at the two fighting prisoners, a male with short blonde hair stepping out of the shadows. His glowing navy eyes matched his crystal chain, the male's tall stature and rough appearance rather intimidating._

_"Seth, stay out of this! You always ruin our fun!" Damian growled at the taller male, Seth grabbing the short yet easily aggravated man by the ear, tugging Damian to the opposing side of the room._

_King got back on his feet, his steps much slower this time, but he still continued to pace through the crystal prison. The male pulled on his raven hair, tugging it back into a ponytail, before releasing his hands, his wild hair seeming to fall to his shoulders._

_"There's no point, King," Lilith said in a monotone voice, examining her sky-blue nails, her cold eyes glued to her sharp claws. "We're not getting out of here. It's been far too long since we've arrived."_

_"There has to be a way out. I need to finish what I've started!" The leader growled, stomping his foot in rage, the jingling of the chain around his ankle suddenly giving the male an idea._

_King moved towards the crystal wall, running his hands against the jagged edges of the gems that stuck out of the walls. There was a weak spot, he had seen it before, but he had never gotten the chance to try and break free._

_His emerald green eyes went wide, a hollow sound coming from the wall as he knocked against the barrier. He looked down at his mangled leg, biting his lip before King began to kick the wall with all his might, the chain around his leg beginning to tighten._

_"Come on King, we've tried this before, whenever the walls start to crumble, they come back stronger than ever within seconds," Seth said unenthusiastically, stroking Damian's hair in an attempt to keep the shorter male calm. The blonde raised an eyebrow as King continued, despite his words, and the chain clasping down on his ankle._

_The wall cracked, King's eyes squinting at the blinding white light that was gleaming through the cracks. His leg was mangled and bloody, his body aching and burning, but he kept slamming his foot into the wall, in hopes of a big enough escape._

_It began to crumble, a small opening revealed. King's stomach was twisted at the sound of his foot cracking, the chain beginning to break bones. He fell to his knees, clawing at the wall, which was rebuilding as he broke it._

_King didn't have much time, nor did he have a large escape, but the prisoner had to make do. He climbed through the opened, rocks and gems shooting out of the wall and stabbing him in an attempt to stop the prisoner from escaping. The wall was closing fast, King diving out of the hole right as it closed, the chain around his leg getting cut off by the barrier._

_He could hear the other prisoners calling him, King gasping for breath as his sweat and blood stained body fell against the ground, no feeling in his legs. King looked down at his mangled ankle, which was slowly beginning to turn neon, transforming from human flesh into crystallized rock._

_"I'll come back for you guys! I'll find a way to get you out!" King yelled, hoping the others could hear him. He stood up slowly, which seemed to make the neon glow spread faster, his legs getting turned to crystals._

_King looked around the outside world, a barren wasteland of nothingness. Simply white as far as the eye can see, an infinite land of nothing in his sights. He took a step back, before he couldn't feel his legs anymore, the radioactive color spreading up his waist and beginning to move up his chest._

_Before he could try and escape the strange glow, the ground from underneath King began to shake, the floor ripping in two, a portal of sorts swallowing the prisoner whole, as his body was turned to crystal, the man disappearing into the void without a trace._

•=•=•

TFC sat up, the elder gasping for breath, glancing around the dim lighting of his bunker, the dream that he had witnessed feeling real and painful. The man lifting the covers of his bed, peering at his leg, which had recently been amputated, leaving TFC with a prosthetic limb.

"T-that was nothing," Tin comforted himself, running his hand along his arm, trying to sooth the goosebumps that had made the hair on the back of his neck stand on it's end. "Just another strange dream from after surgery.."

  
  


He got out of bed, the older hermit shaking a bit, having to hold on to the rough pine wood of his bed frame until he was able to balance himself. Tin let out a sigh as he moved to a chest, pulling out a glass water bottle and taking a small sip, the cold water helping the older hermit's dry throat.

TFC pulled out his communicator, unsurprised at the time. '3:47 am' it said, Tin used to getting up this early when he had nightmares. The elder hermit had been experiencing strange dreams since his leg had been removed, so he simply thought it was the weariness catching up to him.

He scrolled through the contacts of all the hermits, Xisuma being the only hermit awake at this time. It wasn't too shocking, the man never slept, nor was he ever tired. It was almost impressive, but TFC mainly worried that X wasn't getting enough sleep.

The older hermit hit the admin's contact, bringing the communicator to his ear and listening to dial tone, his finger tapping nervously against the back of the small device.

The admin didn't pick up.

TFC shrugged it off, he was probably busy fixing the server, which he only did at night, so that there would be no problems durning the day. The older hermit set his device down, trudging back to the wool sheets of his bed, falling onto the mattress with a loud sigh.

He shut his eyes in hopes of getting some rest before dawn, the older hermit too tired to even attempt to pull the covers over his exhausted body. So TFC lay still in the darkness, looking up at the ceiling as his eyelids began to grow heavy. He eventually fell asleep, the silence of the night creeping into his mind and allowing TFC to have a moment of peaceful rest.

All of hermitcraft was quiet and serene for those few moments.


	2. Chapter 2

The world seemed to be at a standstill, the peaceful atmosphere of the night a calming feeling for the admin. The man in purple armor stood tall, looking down at a glowing purple screen, the admin doing his nightly rounds. The cool night air shook the autumn leaves, their warm color soaking in the moonlight. It was serene, quiet, which was something that the hermitcraft server almost never was.

Xisuma was working diligently, standing in the grove of birch trees, the admin listening to the quiet breeze that moved gently through the branches, allowing for a soft rustling to drift through the air. The man in the purple armor smiled from behind his helmet, a bit more work and he'd be done before 4 am. That's a record time for the admin.

He took a breather, Xisuma stepping away from the screen for a couple moments to admire the beautiful scenery. The stars above him glistened, the admin taking a seat on the grassy hillside, his eyes glued to the sky. His eyelids relaxed, Xisuma's mind at a standstill as his shoulders slumped.

The admin was far from everyone, no bases or hermits anywhere near Xisuma's little hideout in the birch forest. He normally wasn't out this far, normally much closer towards the shopping district or his own base, but the man in purple armor had been drawn out here from a strange pulse magic, and when he found this little sanctuary, X had decided to do his nightly coding from the calm forest.

X let out a yawn, laying down onto the grassy hillside. He was still confused at the random burst of magic that had been recorded this far away from all the other hermits. The admin shrugged it off, his eyes slowly closing. His communicator was buzzing in his left pocket, and yet the exhausted admin couldn't reach for it, his arm seeming too heavy to move. Xisuma couldn't remember the last time he had slept, or the last time he had managed to escape the craziness of hermitcraft for a few moments.

He relaxed on the hillside for a bit, listening closely as the wind brushed against the trees, the leaves rustling ever-so-slightly. All was quiet, all was good. Xisuma's mind was wandering, his body feeling like it was floating, he hadn't slept in so long he had almost forgotten the wonderful feeling that dreaming had brought him.

He slept for a while. All his worries and responsibilities disappearing within an instant. It was nice, a calm feeling coming from the world around Xisuma. His phone kept buzzing, but it was too much work, too much effort to try and reach it.

Light began awaken the admin, Xisuma groggily groaning as his eyes reluctantly opened, the man in purple armor looking up at the sky. It was still night, which confused X, until he spotted the strange light source above him.

It was as if there was a rip through the sky, a blinding light escaping through the crack in the darkness. He sat up, dumbfounded at the sight like no other. The admin fumbled as he pulled out his communicator, multiple warnings on the device of energy from another world.

"What the—" Xisuma started, before the admin was interrupted by what sounded like an explosion, the man looking to the sky and watching as what seemed to be a glowing comet burst through the crack, tearing through the starry night at lightning speed.

The sound of trees tumbling to the ground horrified the admin, the meteor crashing deeper into the forest. Xisuma quickly got to his feet, bolting into the darkness in search of the otherworldly asteroid that had fallen from what seemed to be a portal.

It wasn't hard to find, the glowing aura radiated through the forest. Xisuma followed the mystical glow, hypnotized by the beauty of the forest. He thought it was astounding as it was before, and yet the glow from whatever had fallen from the sky made it...better.

The admin followed the trail of destruction, locating a large clearing with broken trees and the grassy landscape torn up. A large crater sat in the middle of it, glowing with the emerald light. Xisuma stepped forward, his hands slowly moving up his neck and towards his helmet. The admin couldn't breathe the air in the overworld, and yet he wanted to take his helmet off to admire the beauty in full.

Slowly, the admin removed his helmet. He barely cared as the air stung his lung, like swallowing fire, the pain burning his insides. But what he was was remarkable, and indescribable glow of beauty and light reflecting off the trees. The admin kept moving towards the crater, despite the fiery pain in his body.

As Xisuma drew closer to the crater, sliding down the edge of the hole to investigate what had fallen from the sky. As he moved closer to the glowing object, the air became thicker, similar to the cold air in the end. The admin found it easier to breathe as he approached a strange mineral that was sticking out of the ground.

Xisuma grabbed the glowing emerald, pulling it out of the ground, his eyes wide as he studied the source of the glow. He wiped the dirt off the gem, polishing it on his suit, frowning as the glow began to fade.

  
  


"Oh Nonono, it's okay," he cooed, gently stroking the gem, smiling down at the emerald that resting in his gloved hand. "You don't have to be scared."

It whispered to him.

"You're okay now! I would never hurt someone like you!" Xisuma said with a grin that spread to the ends of his face, the man's eyes lighting up with joy when the stone began to faintly glow once more.

"There you go! See? I'm not gonna hurt you! I'd never hurt you.." he said, Xisuma's eyes matching the glow of the crystal. He frowned once the glowing had stopped once more, the pained whispers entering the admin's mind once more.

"What?"

"You're hurt."

"No, no, I can take care of you! You'll be okay!"

"Anyone else? Yes, there are more people here!"

"You want to meet them?"

"But what about your injuries?" Xisuma questioned, the admin's expression softening as he became sad, stroking his thumb over the small crack on the gem. He paused when the whispers continued.

"Why yes, I'll help you."

"Y-you want out?"

"Alright, I'll find you a way out."

"I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

Keralis stood by Lookie Lookie at my Cookie, his hands full of shulker boxes. The colorful storage boxes were filled to the brim with all sorts of delectable treats that the wide-eye builder had made just for the hermits, in order to promote his new shop, that is.

He set down a few boxes, wiping his brow. For a couple of sugary snacks, these boxes were heavy. He took a seat onto the wooden steps of Lookie Lookie at my Bookie, placing down an enderchest and rummaging through his portable storage, pulling out a glass water bottle and taking a sip, a relived sigh managing to slip between Keralis's lips once he had finished.

The wide-eye man looked up, waving at Bdubs from across the street, who was checking up at the Boomer shop in the early morning. The boomer smiled and waved back, his gunpowder stained skin and singed hair showing he must have just done a job.

Keralis looked around at the morning dew that was resting on the grass below his feet, the cool autumn air crisp and fresh at this time in the day. There weren't many in the shopping district, keeping the island peaceful and calm. The Polish man took in a breath, relaxing his shoulders as he scanned the shopping district for any more familiar faces.

The color seemed to drain from Keralis's face once he spotted a horrifying sight, the admin of the server walking around the district without his helmet on. This had caught Bdubs's attention as well, the boomer's jaw dropping at the sight. Only Keralis had seen the admin's face, and he had only taken his helmet off in the end, where he could breathe.

The wide-eyed man rummaged through his enderchest, pulling out his bee helmet for his and Xisuma's matching skin. Without hesitation, Keralis bolted towards the admin with great speed, trying to catch up with the man in purple armor.

"Shiswami! Stop!" Keralis called, Bdubs seeming to join the chase, running beside his close friend and calling out for the admin, who stopped, looking back at the two with confusion in his glare. His emerald eyes were blank, the cold stare was uncomfortable to look at. Xisuma raised an eyebrow, before he let out a scream as the two tackled him to the ground.

"Shiswami, What are you thinking?! You can't breathe without your helmet!" Keralis screamed, his normally calm and kind tone now strict and filled with horror, as Bdubs held the admin against his will, pinning him to the ground. Xisuma thrashed in his grip, as Keralis slipped his bee helmet onto the admin's head.

"Let go of me you two!" The man in armor hissed, both Bdubs and Keralis taking a step back and letting the admin stumble to his feet. Xisuma wiped the dirt off his suit, sticking his hands into his pocket, the admin's eyes going wide in horror. He shoved past the two builders, kneeling on the ground as he rummaged through the dirt, searching for something he had lost.

"Ohnononononono! Where is he?! Where did he go?!" The admin screamed in a panic, glancing around nervously in search of what he had lost. Bdubs and Keralis shared a look, the two frowning at the admin's behavior. He suddenly screamed with joy, the admin jumping to his feet with a smile spreading to the ends of his face.

"You're okay! You're okay!" He screamed happily to an emerald, which he proceeded to hug, smiling at the gemstone in his hands. Once again, the two builder's shared a look, before Xisuma's happy expression faded, the admin looking at the two with anger burning in his eyes.

"What were you two thinking?! Are you idiots?! You could have hurt him even more than he already is! Do you know what would have happened if he got hurt on my watch?!? I would never forgive myself!" The admin screamed at the two builders, the man in armor telling how irresponsible and idiotic they were.

"Shiswami, calm down! If you could just explain what happened and why you're upset we can help you!"

"You two idiots almost made me lose him!" The admin said with a hiss, showing off the glowing emerald that rested in his hands. Bdubs bit his lip, resisting the urge to tell Xisuma how stupid that sounded.

"Shiswami, I-I'm sorry..you didn't have your helmet on and I was just trying to help.."

"Help? Help? If you ever try to 'help' again, I'll ban you so you never hurt him again!" Xisuma screamed in a threatening tone, taking a step towards Keralis, who was practically sinking, horrified of the admin. Bdubs was furious, the builder moving in front of his friend and shoving the admin to the ground.

"What has gotten into you, Xisuma?! And who is 'he'?! And why-" before the Boomer could finish, the admin got up off the ground, sucker punching Bdubs right in the nose, a loud crack coming from the blow.

Cub ran over when he noticed the fighting, grabbing Xisuma by the shoulders and holding him back, the admin thrashing and screaming, trying to escape the enforcer's grip on him. Keralis could notice the unnatural glow in the admin's eyes, the Polish man looking down at Xisuma's hands, the glow of the gemstone matching his eyes.

Keralis bolted towards the restrained man, grabbing the emerald out of his hand and bolting towards the pile of shulker boxes he had left laying around. Xisuma was furious, kicking Cub off of him and bolting after the Wide-eyed builder. Keralis was faster though, throwing the gem into a random shulker box before throwing it into his enderchest.

Xisuma shoved the builder out of his way, opening the enderchest and carelessly throwing his items all over the shopping district, sobbing as he searched for his gem. He grabbed Keralis by the collar is his shirt, shaking the Polish man to get an answer.

"Where is he?! Where did he go?! Give him back, Keralis! I need to protect him!"

Before Keralis could even open his mouth to respond, Bdubs wrapped a lead around the admin, handing a part it to Cub, the two using their combined strength to tug the admin to the ground, his head slamming against the floor, the man beginning to sob, thrashing in his binds.

"Alright, please don't tell me I'm the only one who has no clue what's going on..." Cub asked quietly, looking to Bdubs, who's nose was mangled and bloody. He shrugged, Keralis shaking his head, trying to avoid looking down at the sobbing admin.

"I'll take Xisuma back to my office, I'll try to talk to him." Cub said softly, his voice quiet and worried. Before he left, Keralis handed the enforcer two shulker boxes filled with goodies, one for Xisuma when he comes back to his senses, and one for the pharaoh.

Bdubs and Keralis said their goodbyes, watching as Xisuma passed out, getting dragged towards the town hall by Cub. 

"Well that was...strange..." Bdubs said quietly, holding his nose in pain. Keralis simply nodded, a sigh slipping out of his lips. He picked up another shulker box filled with Sweets, handing it to Bdubs, who smiled happily, a bit of blood trickling out of his nose.

"You should go bandage that up, Bubbles.." Keralis said, Bdubs just wiping the blood on his wrist, as he waved goodbye to his friend, running into the boomer shop.

Keralis weakly waved back, his smile fading as Bdubs was out of view. He glanced to his enderchest, his glare stuck on the obsidian chest for a few moments, before the Polish builder turned his back on the box, moving away from his shops and towards the center of the shopping district.

Keralis was terrified for whatever that gemstone had done to Xisumavoid.


	4. Chapter 4

TFC sat in the darkness, a dim torch glowing in the cold bedroom. The elder tapped his prosthetic foot against the ground, his eyes scanning the pages of a worn-out leather book. He'd seen it before, the novel collecting dust on the top of his shelf, and yet he'd never taken the time to read it.

It was one of Xisuma's old manual, and TFC couldn't remember how it had come into his possession. The book was an administrative duties and abilities, the old leather cover and worn out pages suggested that X had kept the book ever since he had become an admin.

There was a knock at the door, Tin looking up at the door to his bedroom, which was slightly pushed open, Keralis peering in at the elder, who smiled and waved the Polish man inside. Keralis smiled nervously, the builder pushing open the door and stepping into TFC's bedroom.

"Hey kid, how can I help you?" Tin asked calmly, setting his dusty book aside and putting his hands in his lap, raising an eyebrow at the unexpected visitor. Keralis scratched the back of his neck in a nervous manner, the wide-eyed man keeping his gaze averted from the older hermit.

"Well I originally came here to give you this-" Keralis started, placing down an enderchest and pulling out a shulker box, setting it by TFC's feet. The older hermit smiled, although it faded the moment he looked back at Keralis, the Polish male seemingly scared and upset.

"What's wrong, kid? Something on your mind?"

"It's Shiswami.." He spoke quietly, Tin raising an eyebrow and gesturing for Keralis to take a seat on a nearby leather chair, similar to the one that TFC was seated on. The builder shakily moved to the chair, his constantly terrified expression seeming more shocked and horrified than normal.

"He wasn't wearing a helmet and he was talking to a rock. Then when we tried to help him, he threatened to ban me and he punched Bubbles in the face.." Keralis explained in a confused yet fearful tone, keeping his wide eyes glued to his hands, which were nervously pulling on his jeans.

"I see," TFC said with his hand scratching his beard, the elder nodding in understanding of Keralis's concern. "Is he alright now?"

"Yeah..Cub and Bubbles took him back to the town hall to keep him there for a bit. His eyes were glowing too, and he sounded so concerned for this rock of his, he even called it a 'him'. I'm just worried about Shiswami, is he going to be okay..?"

"I wish I could say I knew, Keralis. I bet all this admin junk has finally gotten to him. Just make sure he's taking a break, and keep an eye on him. He'll be back to normal soon, I swear." TFC comforted the Polish man, placing a hand onto Keralis's shoulder with a warm smile on his face. The builder looked up, a half smile growing on the ends of his face as he wrapped his arms around Tin, surprising the elder hermit.

"Tank you, TFC." Keralis said, pulling away from the older hermit and waving goodbye to Tin, running out the door with a wide smile on his face. The older hermit chuckled to himself, relaxing in his chair and raising an eyebrow at the gift the Keralis dropped off.

He opened the box, raising an eyebrow at what it contained. Cakes and cookies, all sorts of sugary delights baked by the Polish man, with a little note inside to "Shop at LLAMC", whatever that meant. But that wasn't what concerned TFC.

It was the glowing gemstone that sat in the center of the box, the glowing aura a horrifying sight to TFC. If he was correct, this was the 'rock' that Keralis had described, the glistening crystal a hypnotic sight. The older hermit shook his head, slamming the shulker box shut to ignore the entrancing glow of the crystal.

He picked up the box, ignoring the glow that seemed to leak out of the box, carelessly throwing the shulker into a double chest, locking the storage box as he slammed the container shut. TFC wasn't going to let anyone else go through what the admin was suffering through, he needed to find a way to get rid of the crystal.

The older hermit thought up a plan, tomorrow he would go and check up on Xisuma, and if the admin had returned to normal, he would discuss what to do with the hypnotic mineral. That relied upon the fact that TFC assumed Xisuma would get better, but he didn't know.

"Whatever that crystal was, it's cursed," Tin thought aloud, rubbing the side of his head, struggling fight the painful headache that caused his thoughts to slow. He sat down on his bed the old hermit relaxing as he slipped underneath the covers. He was tired, despite the fact that it was still early in the morning, which wasn't too odd for TFC.

He'd been tired more often recently, after the amputation of his leg he'd spent most of his time in bed, struggling to find motivation or happiness in the darkness and solitude of his bunker. Xisuma said he still needed a week of rest before he could start building again, which made things even harder for Tin.

TFC shut his eyes, trying to ignore the soft whispers that seemed to be coming from the chest that he had locked the gem in, the voice of the crystal speaking to him. The things he promised weren't appealing to the older hermit, he didn't seek power or wealth, so the crystal's words meant nothing to him.

He pulled his pillow over his ears, ignoring all the things that the gemstone promised, as TFC struggled to go to sleep.

•=•=•

TFC rowed towards the shopping district, the shulkerbox that held the gemstone sitting in the back of the boat. He could see the town hall in the distance, the older hermit docking on the grassy shore, and lifting the box in his arms.

It was the next day, and Tin didn't get any sleep last night, the whispers only getting worse and worse throughout the night. He still didn't listen, all the promises that the gem told TFC were obviously lies, and the old hermit didn't want to trust something like the strange emerald.

He wandered through the streets, trudging up the stairs to the town hall, struggling to move at a time or two, Tin still getting used to his new limb. He managed to make it into the town hall and up to Cub's office, knocking on the door and waiting for the Pharaoh to invite him in.

"Come in." Cub said, TFC entering the room, with the enforcer beginning to leave. Tin had explained the Gem and its hypnotic abilities, and he told Cub it was best to wait outside. The elder looked to the small jail cell, Xisuma curled up in the corner.

There was a tray with healing an regeneration potion bottles on it, along with a bit of food that hadn't been touched. Xisuma's bee helmet was discarded in the corner, and the admin was wearing his normal helmet now. The admin looked drained of energy, tired and confused as to why he was locked up.

"TFC? Why are you-"

"You don't remember what happened, I assume."

The admin shook his head, watching silently as Tin pulled out the gem from his shulkerbox, Xisuma's eyes going wide in wonder. He shot up, the man in purple armor clawing at the bars, sticking his arm through the prison bars and trying to grab the crystal from TFC.

"Give him back! You're hurting him by locking him away! We need to help him, TFC!"

"I'm not doing that." He said, tucking the gem away in his pocket carelessly, Xisuma's eyelids going heavy as he dropped limp on the ground. The admin's energy was drained once more, and he couldn't stand to stay awake much longer, Tin slightly happy that he was getting some rest.

"Alright," TFC said, pulling the gem out of his pocket and throwing it onto the table, the elder pulling out a diamond blade and hovering it over the crystal. 

"It's time to end this."


	5. Chapter 5

"No! Wait!" A voice called as TFC was about to destroy the crystal, the elder hermit looking to the sound of the harsh and deep voice, Xisuma awake once more. His voice was different, deeper and filled with anger and hatred, his eyes still radiating the neon green color from behind the admin's helmet. The man in the purple armor gripped the iron bars that prevented him from attacking Tin.

"Xisuma, you're not in control of yourself. It's alright, just calm yourself dow-"

"I'M NOT XISUMA!" He suddenly screamed, his glare like a thousand cold daggers stabbing TFC in the back. The older hermit dropped the sword in shock, trying to find the right words to say tomato the moment, although his tongue was tied, and he didn't know what to do.

Xisuma let out a sigh, sitting on the concrete flooring below him, pulling his knees to his chest, the admin keeping his gaze averted from the older hermit on the other side of the bars.

"Who— What Are you?" TFC asked quietly, moving closer to the trapped male, taking a knee to become eye level with him. The man sighed, his glowing eyes seemed to flare for a brief moment, before the color died out, the glow seeming to die out of his emerald eyes.

"My name is King," He started, his voice low and growling at the older hermit, clearly he wasn't too fond of being locked up in a cell. "I managed to escape a prison where I've been locked up for years, and my consciousness was put into that crystal you were about to destroy. I managed to find my way into your world, and I just managed to have enough strength to possess your friend."

"I'm not hearing any reason why I shouldn't destroy this crystal.." TFC growled, grabbing the emerald of the desk and holding it up, slightly squeezing it in the palm of his hand. King looked horrified, reaching his hand through the bars and trying to grab the gem from TFC.

"Okay okay! My friends are stuck in that prison too! That gemstone could be the one thing that could save them!" He growled, Tin raising an eyebrow at his words. He couldn't tell if King was lying, he always seemed angry and harsh with his words.

"Why are you in that 'prison'?" TFC asked quietly, tightening his grip on the crystal in his hands, King biting his lip with his gaze focused on the gemstone.

"We were wrongfully banned from our servers, and we were sent there for eternity. If that crystal came from my world, I thought maybe I could use it to bring my friends back so that they wouldn't have to suffer that torment any longer."

"I'd do the same thing for any of these kids.." TFC chuckled to himself, his gaze moving towards the floor. "I guess we're kinda similar, y'know?"

King nodded, slightly smiling before going back to his harsh expression, keeping his head lowered as he tried not to look at Tin for too long. The two were silent for a while, keeping their eyes glued to the floor.

"So..how long have you been possessing Xisuma?"

"Not long. I was manipulating him for a while, I just took control when he passed out."

"Could you do that before you were thrown in prison?" 

"No. I'm sorta like a ghost now. People can't see me, I can fly, I can slightly move things, and I can possess people and mobs. I think I gained some new abilities from that magical prison I was trapped in."

"Alright 'King', I have a deal." The older hermit said while standing up, Tin pacing back and forth, his prosthetic leg slightly creaking as he walked back and forth. 

"I'll give you back your gem, you just leave Xisuma and the others alone. No more possession."

He waited for a few moments, King pondering the idea before he stood up, nodding in agreement to the rules of the deal. He extended his hand to the older hermit, who held the crystal in his hand, extending his arm and shaking King's hand while simultaneously handing over the glowing emerald.

Xisuma's body fell limp, the crystal floating in the air. TFC squinted his eyes, a transparent figure holding the crystal. Tin assumed it was King, but he didn't really know how the former prisoner looked like. It was hard to see him, but it was entirely possible, his eyes were the most visible part on his body, their eerie glow sticking out.

"Alright. You have your gemstone. Now leave the hermits alone.."

King just laughed. The ghost-like figure phasing through the bars, his body seeming to become less transparent, a glowing green outline surrounding his body, which seemed to be coming from the radiating crystal in his hands.

"You said I couldn't hurt the others, you never mentioned anything about you."

"W-What?!" Tin said horrified, taking a step back in shock, his body visibly shaking. He couldn't move, his feet practically glued to the floor, as King continued to approach him. 

He opened the palm of his hand, the crystal seeming to extend, King seemed to have control over the glowing gemstone. He turned the emerald into a blade, a glowing aura surrounding the magical sword. 

"You really think we were wrongfully banned?" King simply laughed, dragging his sword against the ground, sparks flying off the sharp blade, a sinister smile growing on King's face.

"We tried to destroy the world! We were sent there to pay for our crimes! And now that I'm free from my prison, I'll do it all again!"

"X-Xisuma will just ban you!" TFC growled, his hands forming fists as he was met by the tip of the emerald blade, King's deep and ominous laughter echoing through the office.

"He won't ban me if he thinks I'm you."

Tin didn't have enough time to react, as the tip of the emerald sword was lifted up, gently tapped against the elder hermit's forehead. TFC suddenly became cold, his legs buckling, the older hermit falling over, no pain as he hit the ground.

When he opened his eyes, TFC looked down at his shaking hands, now a faint green outline, Tin practically a ghost at this point, his body simply a neon glow. He looked to King, who was no longer there, the only person who Tin could see was his body, his head lowered and his eyes closed.

Before TFC could move to try and repossess his body, laughter came from his body, King turning around and looking directly at TFC, King's eyes glowing a bright neon color, the older hermit unable to speak, too horrified at the sight of his body being possessed.

The door to the office opened, Cub poking his head in to check up on TFC, the older hermit smiling and waving to the pharaoh, who didn't see anything out of the ordinary, simply smiling and waving back, closing the door once more and leaving the elder hermit to continue to talk to Xisuma.

"No! Wait! Cub! Don't go! That's not me!" TFC screamed, his voice hollow and empty. The elder hermit had been waving and trying to get the pharaoh's attention, but it seemed that he couldn't see or hear the ghost.

"Alright, well it's been fun," 'TFC' said with a laugh, his glowing sword turning back into a simple crystal, allowing for the man to slip it into his pocket. He looked to the real TFC, smiling as he turned to leave, placing his hand on the doorknob before he stopped, looking back at the ghost-like figure, who stood dumbfounded.

"You won't be too lonely for long, my friend. I'll make sure some of the other hermits join you."


	6. Chapter 6

"Good morning!"

" _No! Don't listen to him_!"

"Nice to see you!"

" _That's not me!_ "

"Hey there!"

" _He's lying to you_!"

TFC physically couldn't cry, but it felt like he was, simply a shadow to the others. They couldn't hear his warnings, or see the pain in his ghostly eyes. All they could see was a smiling face who happily greeted them. He felt so stupid, he trusted King and now his world was falling apart, Tin unable to re-possess his body, King in full control.

The elder hermit stood behind King, who was waving goodbye to Mumbo with a smile on his face. When the Redstoner rocketed off however, his expression quickly faded, the former prisoner letting out a loud and annoyed groan.

"Do you ever shut up?! You've been giving me a headache!" He growled at TFC, walking past the ghost-like figure and towards the shore of the shopping district, steadily placing his prosthetic leg in the boat, slightly shaking as he finally managed to get in, rowing back towards Tin's bunker. The ghost followed behind, he seemed to be able to walk on the water's surface without even effecting the rippling waves.

_"What are you planning, King..? Because if you hurt any of the hermits I'll-"_

"You'll do what? Float around a bit more? Pester me until I tell you? Yeah, great plan TFC. You're really gonna make me pay." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the glowing figure, who suddenly became silent, keeping his eyes glued to the crashing waves below him, as he floated above the water, following King back to the bunker without another word exchanged between the two.

—

King let out a relived sigh as he slammed the door behind him, TFC simply phasing through the barrier and continuing to follow King, watching him closely as he rummaged through the chests. He let out an annoyed groan, throwing blocks and items out of the storage and groaning when he slammed it shut.

"Where do you keep your weapons and armor?!" He spat the question at TFC, who refused to talk, slightly floating above the ground with his arms folded and his back towards the former prisoner. He groaned once more, moving towards the large hole in the ground and the ladder that leads down to the bunker. He was about to climb down and search when a knock at the door startled the two.

King put on a fake smile, moving to the door and opening it, Stress standing with a shulkerbox in her hands and a innocent grin on her face. Tin wished that he could tell her to run, but all he could do is float beside King and watched as the two exchanged conversations with one another.

"Stress! Come in, I didn't know you were coming to visit..." King said, although the last part of the sentence he slightly grumbled underneath his breath. He sat down on a wooden chair, waving his hand to invite Stress to sit across from him at a table. She didn't sit however, placing the shulker on the table and opening the purple box, chocolate chip cookies flooding out of the box.

"I made you some cookies, luv. I thought it would be nice after your surgery." She said before looking at her watch, speaking again before 'TFC' could even thank her.

"Sorry I can't stay longer, Tin! Iskall and I are going to go and surprise Mumbo with some hermit challenges!" She smiled, running out the door and waving goodbye to the elder hermit. He smiled and waved, groaning once more as Stress used her rockets to fly towards the shopping district.

"Don't these hermits ever give you a break? They're always here, it's annoying!" He grunted to the ghost, standing up and examining the cookies, before rolling his eyes and turning to head down the ladder to the bunker. TFC weightlessly flew down the hole, following King down, never wanting to leave the mysterious prisoner alone for a single moment.

_"Just tell me King, what are you plotting_?" TFC growled, moving in front of the imposter's path, King rolling his eyes and walking through the ghost with ease. Tin let out a bothered groan, floating along carelessly as he continued to follow King.

"You want to know what I'm planning?" He said with a brief laugh, pulling the green crystal from his pocket, the gemstone transforming into a sword once more, King running his finger along the side of the glowing weapon, his eyes radiating with power.

"I'm going to finish what I started. I am going to rip this dimension apart, and I will conquer as many worlds and universes that I can. And with these new abilities of mine, I can do it with ease. All I need is to bring my friends and we'll be able to rip the fabric of this universe in two."

" _W-What?! That's insane! Why would you-"_

"For power. Isn't it obvious? There are more people, more worlds out there! With people similar to you, little worlds and buildings and redstoner. And I can conquer it all!" He paused, letting out a growl of anger and stabbing his sword into the stone below him, the ground easily cracking as he did so.

"I was trying to possess that admin of yours, which would have made my life much easier. But, I'll be able to get one of my friends to possess him, so everything will fall into place..."

" _You're insane._." TFC growled, King simply laughing as he pulled the sword out of the ground, his glowing eyes cold and ruthless as he looked the ghost, smiling a bit.

"I know. And I'm going to rule everything. But first things first," He raised his sword, slashing it through the ghost, TFC flinching as the emerald weapon cut through his phantom body, his body seeming to tear apart before reforming. He noticed that his glow had died down, Tin could barely even notice the lime glow that surrounded him. King laughed, turning away and polishing his weapon.

"Finally! Now I won't have to see or listen to you, TFC. You've been getting on my nerves. And now, I think it's time to go and select a candidate to drag back here and use to bring one of my friends back." He laughed, running towards the ladder and beginning to leave, the elder hermit following behind him.

" _King? King?! No! I still have more questions! C-Can you hear me?! P-p-please..?"_ He flew around the imposter, trying to get King to listen to him, although he didn't seem to notice TFC, the hollow figure barely even noticeable.

TFC wanted to cry.

He silently flew behind King, watching as he began to head towards the shopping district once more.

He was simply a shadow to King now, following along with him silently, no way to scream or warn anyone.


	7. Chapter 7

Xisuma was making a mental recovery, the admin unaware at his vicious attack on Keralis and Bdubs. He woke up with absolutely no memory of how he had gotten there, or what had happened. The last thing the admin remembered was working on a few glitches and inspecting a few large surges of magic, but no matter how hard the hermits tried, they couldn't get Xisuma to recall any of his strange experiences.

The admin looked down at his bowl of mushroom stew, staring into the eyes of his reflection. He suddenly didn't feel so hungry, his stomach tying into knots and causing Xisuma to feel sick. He laid his head onto the feathery pillow, biting his lip as he stared at the wooden ceiling above him. There was a knock at the door, X too lost in thought to notice. Scar and Cub walked into the room, the mayor and the enforcer looking from Xisuma to one another, exchanging worried expressions.

"Hey Suma.." Scar said to the admin, who let out a sad breath before sitting up to greet the two, his tired eyes and empty stare showed how he was taking the news of his insane behavior. Cub took the bowl of untouched soup and set it aside, Scar taking a seat at the foot of the bed, the wooden bedroom quiet for a few moments, X keeping his eyes glued to the wool blankets that he had wrapped around him, trying not to look at the mayor, too ashamed of what he had done.

"Xisuma, it's going to be okay," Scar said with assurance, the admin barely reacting to the mayor's soft words. Scar however, bit his lip, easily seeing past X's helmet and his guilty expression. He felt bad for what he didn't have control over, Xisuma beating himself up over hurting his fellow hermits.

"How long has it been since I..?" Xisuma questioned, slightly looking up from the blankets on his bed, his eyes saddened and filled with guilt. 

"Almost 2 weeks. You've been doing so much better since TFC talked to you."

"I still can't say I recall talking to him, but I'm glad. Where is he, anyway?"

"Probably in his bunker," Cub chimed in, standing by the exit of the heavily guarded door. "I haven't seen him since he talked to you, nor have I heard anything from him."

"Do you think he's okay...? Could I have—"

"Don't go there, Xisuma." Scar said, stopping the admin before he could blame himself for Tin's disappearance. It wasn't even that uncommon for the older hermit to disappear at times, he spent most of his down in the bunker. But Xisuma was incredibly scared, he had no idea why he had attacked the others, and he didn't want to do it again.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll have someone go and check on him." Cub said, pulling out his communicator and messaging a few hermits, Cleo offering to stop by since she was flying by Tango's base anyway. Xisuma gratefully thanked the two, the admin hugging his knees to his chest as the mayor and enforcer left the room, the reinforced door shutting with a clang behind the two.

"I hate to lock him up like this.." Scar said sadly, the mayor leaning against the door with a brief sigh, Cub placing his hand on the terraformer's shoulder to try and comfort him. 

"You don't have to feel bad, Scar. You know this was Xisuma's idea. He didn't want to hurt anyone else until he was 100% sure everything was okay."

"I know, but we don't even know why Xisuma went rouge in the first place. Besides that crystal, we have nothing. Not to mention we don't even know what happened to the gem, since it disappeared."

"We'll figure it out." Cub assured the mayor, Scar putting on a warm smile and nodding, the two leaving the small wooden hut, which was hidden away in the jungle, around Xisuma's base. They rocketed off, the two heading their separate ways, but Scar couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was happening, and the mayor was starting to worry.

—

Cleo put her communicator into her pocket after she had reassured Cub that she would check up on TFC, the Zombie right around Tango's toon towers. She walked past the colorful buildings with expressions, heading back to the area that Tin had claimed as his own, the house made of white concrete catching her eye.

The zombie gently knocked on the door, which creaked open without too much force. It had been left unlocked and slightly open, Cleo poking her head into the house and glancing around, the elder hermit no where in sight. 

"Tin? You here?" She called out, the zombie stepping into the house and searching for him. She moved to the large hole in the room, the ladder leading down to TFC's mining hole and bunker. The Zombie made sure her elytra was on, before jumping down the hole, easily gliding down to the bottom, and carefully landing on the stone flooring.

"Hey TFC? Xisuma was worried about you so Cub asked me to-" the zombie paused, her pale eyes glued to a door that was open, a eerie green glow escaping from the room and out into the hall. She carefully crept through the hall, approaching the open doorway, slightly poking her head into the room, studying the figure hunched over a desk.

Green crystals and gemstones were sticking out of the stone walls, the gems radiating with power. Cleo could see that the figure was TFC, a sword laying on the desk in front of him, he was seemingly modifying the emerald weapon of his. Cleo didn't know what to think of the strange sight, the Zombie turning to leave so she could tell the others, Cleo pulling out her communicator as she moved to the ladder.

Suddenly green crystals spiked out of the ground, cracking through the stone flooring and blocking Cleo's exit, the zombie stumbling back in surprise, the communicator slipping out of her grasp. Before it could hit the ground, a green spike made of crystals and gems shot out of the ground again, shooting right through the small device and destroying it with ease.

"A visitor? I wasn't expecting company." A dark voice called with a slight chuckle, TFC stepping out of his room, his sword in his hand, the older hermit's eyes glued to the weapon. He dragged his finger along the blade, barely worried about Cleo, the Zombie pulled out a netherrite sword upon seeing the hostile glow in Tin's eyes.

He laughed at the weapon, snapping his fingers together. Another gem spike shot through the netherrite weapon, shattering it into small shards within seconds. Cleo's eyes went wide in shock, the zombie barely able to react as TFC lifted his weapon, pointing the end of his sword at Cleo's forehead, gently tapping it against her head, a slight glow spreading to her body. 

Her eyes went heavy, the zombie becoming light headed as she fell, her body feeling lightweight and empty. Someone managed to grab Cleo before she hit the ground, the Zombie opening her eyes and looking up at TFC, who was holding her in his arms.

"T-tin? W-w-What did you do to m-" she paused the second the zombie noticed that he was hollow, transparent, simply a glowing green outline, barely even visible. The older hermit helped Cleo to her feet, the zombie looking down at her hands, similar to TFC, she was an outline of color, except she was a neon shade of orange, not the radioactive green that Tin was.

"It's alright Cleo, I need to explain a few things to you.." he comforted, sitting down onto the ground, inviting the zombie to sit next to him. Cleo looked to where she used to be standing, her body standing with pale eyes, lifeless and motionless. The TFC imposter laughed, his eyes glowing with insanity and power.

Cleo wasn't excited for the long explanation from TinFoilChef.

—

The prisoners sat, silent, no one had spoken since King had fled. Lillian studied her sharp nails, while Seth and Damian sat in the corner in silence, and Sonia nervously twirled her red hair around her finger. She was only close with King, and now that he was gone she was struggling to stay calm. She was always an anxious person, but without King her anxiety was getting worse.

The truth was, King and her lived in the same world. They were together when King had the idea to try and take over the other worlds and dimensions. She agreed to help, and the two were shortly banned afterward, where they met the other three banned players. 

"Sonia, Dear, you need to stop that little nervous habit of yours. You're going to rip your hair out." Lillian said without looking up from her nails, Sonia quickly letting go of her hair and pulling her knees to her chest. She nervously looked to the ground, her eyes glued to the crystal chain around her ankle, the orange slightly glowing.

Suddenly the cell rumbled, one of the walls opening up, a glowing white light from beyond the prison. Sonia looked up from her ankle, the blinding light too powerful to look at directly. She looked back down at her glowing chain, which seemed to lose it glow, turning grey and shriveling into dust. 

"The opening is closing. Might want to get out of here." Seth said calmly, stroking Damian's hair, who seemed to be upset that he didn't have a chance to escape. She hesitated for a few moments, glancing around the faces in the prison, before turning away and bolting into the glowing light, her eyes tightly shut as her body became light, and she seemed to fade away.

—

“Sonia?”

She opened her eyes, sitting up and glancing the underground stone hallway, a elder male with neon green eyes looking at her with concern. She looked down at her hands, pale with stitches of some kind running through her skin. She looked back to the male, who smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

“I know this is all confusing and hard to explain, but it’s me, King.” He said, holding Sonia close to him.

“And together, we’re going to finish what we started.”


	8. Chapter 8

The sunlight burned Xisuma's eyes, despite being hidden behind his helmet. He'd been locked in a small wooden hut for almost a month, rarely visited and heavily guarded. If Xisuma had gone rouge, the hermits were no match for an admin with the ability to delete the entire server. Xisuma had made the choice to lock himself up, Scar assuring the paranoid admin that he was safe to return to hermitcraft. 

The light glistened through the leaves of the overhead trees, Xisuma using his gloved hand to block the light from blinding him. His steps were uneasy and shaky, he was still hesitant to return, to see Bdubs and Keralis again. He had harmed the ones he had sworn to protect, and X was struggling to live with that fact.

"Here's everything you told me to keep safe." Scar handed the admin a purple shulker box filled with Xisuma's tools and armor. X strapped on his elytra, hesitating once more as he pulled out a rocket, fiddling with the miniature explosion in his hands. The mayor placed a hand on Xisuma's shoulder, his green eyes filled with worry as he looked at the admin's saddened stare that was hidden underneath his helmet.

"I'm fine, I swear." The admin chuckled, tucking away the shulker box of his items and using the rocket to blast off into the sky. Scar just shook his head and flew off in the opposite direction, heading back to his own base. Xisuma kept searching his mind, trying to think past the mental barrier that prevented him from remembering the day he attacked Bdubs and Keralis.

The admin flew through the skies, continuing to think and ponder, only focused on trying to remember what he had forgotten. He needed to head back to where it started, Xisuma needed to go back to the birch forest that he had been patching glitches at. That was the last place he remembered being before waking up in the cell in Cub's office, maybe Xisuma could find something there that would help him remember.

He flew for a while before spotting a large crater in the birch forest, something that the admin didn't remember seeing when he was fixing glitches in the server. Xisuma landed on the edge of the hole, glancing down and studying the eerie flames that seemed to glow with a dark shade green.

"What is this..?" Xisuma mumbled underneath his breath, reaching out to touch the mystic flames. Before the admin could reach the fire, something was slammed against the side of his head, which dented his helmet and startled Xisuma, causing him to trip and fall over onto the grassy hillside.

"Hurry and grab him. With someone possessing the admin, we'll have full control of the server.." a voice quietly mumbled to another, Xisuma moaning in pain and shakily moving his hand to feel over to the dented area of his helmet. The admin froze in fear as he felt over the dent, a rip in the metal of his helmet. 

The admin could feel his breath slipping away, Xisuma beginning to choke and cough as his lungs burned in pain. The figures that loomed over him exchanged dialogue with one another, although Xisuma wasn't listening too closely as he gasped for air. The admin's consciousness was slipping away from his lack of air, he barely feel anything besides the pain that stirred in his body.

"I'll carry him, you fix the crack in his helmet. We can't have him respawning." A voice instructed, Xisuma's weak body being lifted into the arms of a figure in the darkness, another silhouette following beside and examining the crack in the unconscious admin's helmet. The figure pressed their hands against the crack, an orange glow escaping from the palms of her hands. Small crystals grew from the crack, mending the broken helmet with orange gemstones.

"You're getting better at using your abilities, Sonia." King complemented the girl possessing Cleo, who smiled in return. The two stepped out of the shadows of the forest, beginning to make their way back to the shopping district. Xisuma barely moved in his unconscious state, but he was breathing, and he hadn't disappeared into a cloud of smoke yet.

"Will he be okay?" Sonia asked the male in possession of TFC, who shrugged without care. 

"Who cares. If this doesn't work we can just get him before he wakes up from his respawn. This so-called 'admin' still doesn't even know that we're in possession of two of the hermits." King told Sonia in his gruff voice which didn't seem to fit TFC's appearance. The girl just nodded as she twirled a piece of her hair around her finger, the two walking through the darkness as they headed back to the shopping district.

—

"So King-?" Cleo nodded as she floated carelessly through the air, TFC nodding as the two followed behind King and Sonia, the ghosts watching from a distance as the two kidnapped Xisuma and almost caused the admin to suffocate.

"Possessed me, and seemingly brought his friend into your body." Tin explained to his fellow phantom once more, Cleo letting out a breath to try and prevent herself from freaking out.

"Can they see us?"

"No. King cut his sword through me and suddenly he couldn't see or hear me. I'm guessing that's where his power comes from.."

"Yeah, he used that sword to put Sonia into my body.." Cleo recalled, the two going silent as they continued to follow King and Sonia, neither looking at one another as they moved in silence.

"Tin..?" Cleo asked as she looked to the older male for support, the pale ghost tilting his head and studying her in confusion as he waited for Cleo's question.

"Will..Will we ever get back to our own bodies? And will we be the same?"

"I..."

"I don't know."


	9. 9- Trapped.

"So what's the plan, King?" Sonia asked as she tied a rope around the unconscious admin before she slipped her hand into Xisuma's pocket, pulling out his communicator and handing it to the man who possessed TFC. King smiled, handing it back to Sonia, who nodded in understanding. She placed the device back into Xisuma's pocket. She was unsure why King wouldn't want the device, but the girl trusted him.

"The plan is the same as it's always been— we're going to conquer every server and world and take control of everything!" He said with a loud laugh, the man studying the glowing emerald blade in his hand, King smiling at his reflection's glowing eyes. "But first we need to capture a few more hermits. We have powers now— we'll be unstoppable if we can bring everyone else here!" He said with another chuckle, King looking to Sonia with a wide grin. She nodded in agreement, finishing tying the rope around Xisuma.

Sonia took a step back, taking her place next to King. The man possessing TFC examined the admin's communication device, before noticing the bound male beginning to stir in his sleep. Xisuma's consciousness was making a slow return, the admin struggling to open his eyes. Two fuzzy silhouettes were the only think the Brit could see. His head felt like thousands of swarming bees had invaded his mind, pounding against X's mind and causing him to groan in pain.

  
  


"Xisuma?" Cleo's voice rung in the Brit's ears as the admin adjusted to the newfound light, TFC holding a torch while the zombie redhead stood next to the older male. "How do you feel?" She asked, her voice sounded distant, but it continued to cause the pain in X's mind to spike.

"Like my head has been split open.." the admin complained as he shut his eyes, Xisuma's body worn out and too weak to move. "How did I get here?" He mumbled the question, faint whispers between Cleo and TFC- although he couldn't catch a word that the two were saying.

"Don't worry about that. Just relax, you must be exhausted." Cleo said with an unnaturally kind tone in her voice— although Xisuma could have sworn it sounded forced. The British admin fought the feeling of drowsiness as he tried to keep his eyes open, but Xisuma's exhausted state seemed to prevent him from making out the features of Cleo and Tin's expressions. The only thing he could see was the smile across the two's faces.

"I-I need to go.....the bugs need to be fixed in the server.." Xisuma started to speak with an exhausted tone, the admin beginning to attempt to move. The Brit paused when he noticed that he was restricted, realizing his arms were bound to his side. Xisuma tried to free himself, struggling as he fought with the ropes that were coiled around him, but the admin felt weak, drained of energy.

He heard TFC and Cleo begin to laugh, their malicious and cruel tone unlike the friends that Xisuma knew. "Y-you don't sound like the hermits I know... What did you do to me..? Why am I suddenly so weak-?" Xisuma questioned the two as he narrowed his eyes at the two, TFC stepping forward while pulling out a blade unlike any that the Brit had seen before.

"Oh that's simple, we're draining your energy. You 'admins' have an endless supply of magic, and if we want to take over everything, we'll need to be as powerful as possible." TFC laughed while holding the glowing sword to the admin's throat. "I was going to let one of my friends possess you, but whatever magic you have seems to be protecting you— meaning we're going to have to get one of your friends to take your place."  
  


  
  


"Who are you..?! What did you do to TFC and Cleo?!" Xisuma yelled as he struggled in his binds, but he wasn't able to break free. The admin wasn't sure what the TFC imposter meant by 'having someone take his place', but X was sure that it wasn't good. 'Tin' held the glowing emerald sword in his hand, touching the tip of the weapon against Xisuma's chest, a purple glow escaping the admin and swirling around the blade, the glowing color changing to a neon green. Xisuma began to feel weaker and weaker as more of the purple magic escaped his body.

  
  


"I think we've already met, you remember me, don't you, Xisuma?" King chuckled in his normal dark voice, no longer trying to hide his true identity. X knew the voice was familiar, but he couldn't seem to recall who King was. The admin looked to Cleo, he realized her eyes were a bright orange, and TFC's eyes were a neon green. The two smiled as they looked to one another, then back at Xisuma.

"This is Sonia and since you can't seem to remember, my name is King. We'll be using you to take over whatever dimension we like." King said as he laughed, Xisuma's frown deepening as he growled underneath his breath.

  
  


King touched his hand against the ground, green crystals shooting out of the floor, the glowing gemstones blocking Xisuma in the corner of the darkened room. The two turned away, leaving the admin in the crystal prison that they had created with their magic. The Brit reached his hand into his pocket, trying to reach his communicator, but with his hands bound, it was much harder than he expected.

"Finally..." X said as both his hands grabbed ahold of the device, the Brit scrolling through the server members. He didn't want anyone to be put into danger, but there wasn't much of a choice, Xisuma needed help. He tapped on Iskall's name, hoping that the Swede would get his message in time.

  
  


King and Sonia watched Xisuma send a message of distress, the two standing in the darkened hallway with their glowing eyes locked onto the admin. The male possessing TFC smiled as he spoke. "I've seen how Xisuma thinks," he said in a whisper as he looked to Sonia. "He doesn't want his friends to get hurt, so I'm guessing he'll only ask one or two hermits to come and save him. Then we'll use them to let our friends have a body to possess."

"But I still don't get it, King." Sonia said with a frown. "You were able to possess Xisuma for a short amount of time. Why can't we possess him now?"

"I'm still confused about that as well. I was able to easily manipulate him, but possessing him was much harder, even when he was under my control.. but we can still use him, all we have to do is wait, and soon a hermit will find there way down here, and we'll let our friends possess them. Then the rest of our plan should be easy with more magic."

"Xisuma is a fool for falling for our trap." Sonia laughed quietly, King smiling as he nodded his head.

"Now let’s get ready to greet our new friends.."

—

"Hermit challenges!" Mumbo said in greeting to Stress and Iskall as they landed around the large fire in the center of the platform. The British Redstoner handed each of them a paper, as the three began to write down challenges for each other.

  
  


"Huh?" Iskall said as their communicator buzzed in their pocket, the Swede setting down the paper and reading over the message that X had sent. Stress and Mumbo looked at one another, then back at the Swedish Redstoner. Iskall's face filled with dread and fear as they finished the message.

"X is in trouble, he's been kidnapped by two impersonators who are pretending to be TFC and Cleo! He's being held in Tin's bunker!" Iskall exclaimed to the two hermits, both horrified by the message.

"We need to save him!" Mumbo exclaimed as Stress nodded in agreement, Iskall pulling out their blade as they readied themself for the rescue.

  
  


"I have potions at me base!" Stress called as she put on her elytra. "I'll run and get them!"

"Should we tell the other hermits? Get more help?" Mumbo questioned the Swede, Iskall shaking their head as they answered. "Xisuma doesn't want anyone to get hurt. I think it's best if it's just the three of us who go to rescue him."

"Right. I'll go grab my armor and weapons, let's meet up outside TFC's bunker.." Mumbo said as Iskall nodded their head, flying off to the bunker where Xisuma was being held. The Swedish Redstoner was ready for battle, with weapons and armor already prepared, but Mumbo and Stress had to hastily prepare with no training or combat skills.

Iskall landed outside the bunker, waiting patiently for their friends to arrive. After a few minutes of waiting, they could see Stress and Mumbo flying through the sky, the two landing in front of the Swede. Stress handed each of them a bottled potion before they entered, the three drinking the invisibility brew, disappearing within an instant.

"This won't last long," Stress whispered quietly. "Let's hurry and save Xisuma!"

The three were as quiet as possible, climbing down the ladder while not saying a word. Mumbo reached the bottom first, then Stress and Iskall. The three held each other's hands, careful not to lose each other, as they crept through the hallway. They silently moved towards the doorway that had glowing crystals surrounding it, looking in at the trapped admin who was surrounded by the indestructible gemstones.

"X!" Iskall hissed as the three ran over to the crystal barrier that separated them from the admin. Mumbo took out a bucket of milk, revealing himself to the trapped Brit. Xisuma smiled with hope in his exhausted eyes. "You came for me!" He exclaimed happily, Mumbo nodding as he placed his hand against the transparent green crystal.

"Stress and Iskall are here too, they're invisible to try and stay unnoticed. We'll dig under the floor and make you a tunnel to get out." Mumbo quickly explained in a quiet voice, the admin nodding.

"Thank you.." X said as he weakly smiled.

"It's no problem, but what's wrong with Stress and TFC..?" The invisible Swede asked, their voice making Xisuma jump, startled at the voice.

"They're being possessed, I think.. I'm not sure... All I know is that Tin is calling himself 'King' and Cleo is calling herself 'Sonia'. They're draining me of my admin magic to strengthen their own abilities.." X said while losing his breath as he spoke, after the loss of so much magic, the admin was barely able to stand. Mumbo pulled out his pickaxe, hitting the tool against the transparent crystals, which were barely scratched upon impact from the netherrite pickaxe.

"Don't bother,"King's voice chuckled from the doorway, he and Sonia entering the room with glowing crystals sealing the exit behind them. He pulled out his glowing blade, Mumbo stepping backwards as he dropped his pickaxe, the Redstoner slightly shaking upon seeing the magical weapon in King's hands. "The crystals are made up of pure magic. It's impossible to destroy them."

"I thought you said there'd be more of them, King." Sonia said as she noticed the single hermit, the male possessing TFC slightly chuckling underneath his breath.

"It doesn't matter, we got at least one of them trapped." He chuckled while pointing the sword at Mumbo, the nervous Redstoner backing himself into a corner, glancing around to try and spot potion particles of one of his invisible friends. King approached the tall Brit, but he stopped, glancing around the room while narrowing his eyes.

"Something grabbed my wrist..I don't think we're alone, Sonia." King growled as he swiped his sword through the air, blood seeming to appear out of thin air. Iskall fell to the ground, a large slash along their chest, red staining the Swedish hermit's clothes. They looked down at their hand, the hit from King's sword had revealed Iskall, the Redstoner no longer invisible.

"Sonia, search the room for any more of these hermits." King spat the command with his eyes glued to the bloody Swede that clutched their chest in pain. The male gripped the handle of his sword, before he shoved the blade through Iskall's arm, the Redstoner screaming in pain as King did so. The male possessing TFC chuckled as he pulled the blade out of the Swedish hermit's arm. "That should keep you quiet."

Iskall looked down at their arm, green crystals beginning to grow out of the wound, the Swede flinching in pain as the crystals slowly began to grow over their arm. Stress, still invisible, rushed over to the bloody hermit's side, rummaging through her inventory to try and find a potion of healing.

"I'll be fine, Stress..." Iskall mumbled quietly while looking down at their hand, which was slowly being overtaken by the green gem shards. The Swede's arm was beginning to lose feeling.

King smiled as he walked back towards the mustached Brit, pointing the tip of the blade to Mumbo's forehead. Green aura swirled around the blade, the Redstoner shutting his eyes while Iskall and Stress stared in horror. After a few moments, Mumbo stood up, opening his unnaturally navy-blue eyes.

"Mumbo...?" Iskall mumbled quietly, the male straightening his tie with a sly chuckle.

  
  


"Not exactly. It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Seth." The male introduced himself with a slight bow, his poise and elegance almost intimidating. King laughed as he placed a hand on Seth's shoulder, tucking away the glowing blade.

“It’s good to see you again, King. So this is where you escaped to, isn’t it?” Seth said as he glanced around the darkened room. King chuckled.

“It’s been easy enough to possess the hermits and use the admin. But for now, we need to continue with our plan. Seth and Sonia, you two know what you need to do,” King said as he waved his hand, the crystals blocking the exit moving to allow the two to leave. The green gems moved back to blocking the door as Sonia and Seth left the room, King smiling as he gripped the blades handle, looking to Iskall.

  
  


“Now, let’s take care of _you_.”


End file.
